Round 3 is now closed. Round 4 is Ongoing.
vi ➝ It got worse when the girls came back
- Verena, Astrid, and Ryuu -
(A few weeks before the start of December)
Verena practically flew down the hall, an empty basin and a damp washcloth held firmly in her grip as she ran towards Astrid’s room. She turned down the corner and just managed to avoid running into Ryuu, gasping in surprise as they both swerved away from each other.
Before she could take off again, Ryuu grabbed her wrist.
“Where are you going in such a rush?” Ryuu asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Ryuu, not now, please,” Verena murmured frantically, anxiously checking the corridors for people. It was empty of anyone, especially the girls, fortunately. She tried to tug her arm out of Ryuu’s grip, looking in the direction of Astrid’s room.
His eyes went from Verena’s worried gaze to the basin and cloth. Ryuu’s gaze sharpened in realisation. “Fuck.”
He released her and she started running again, this time with Ryuu in tow. They reached Astrid’s room, ducking inside before anyone could pass by.
Astrid was lying on the bed, still in the day clothes she was in when working around the mansion, her eyes gone completely white. Blood was slowly seeping out of her nose and ears, dripping down her chin and the sides of her face, staining the bed. Her body was trembling, fingers twitching.
“Ah shit, Astrid,” Ryuu breathed. Verena dumped the basin on the floor next to Astrid and started to clean up the blood from Astrid’s face, wiping gently and quickly, hands steady with practiced movements. They both knew they could do nothing for Astrid except hope that she pulled through this.
“I take it Maddox went through this, too?” Verena whispered, silent tears streaming down her face. Ryuu pulled out the chair from the nearby table and sat down at the foot of the bed, carefully and gently unlacing Astrid’s boots.
“Yes,” he answered quietly. His voice was strained, filled with remembered pain. “He doesn’t ever recall it happening, though. He just thinks he goes to sleep.”
Ryuu was quiet for a second, thinking about all the times he’d found Maddox collapsed, eyes blanked over and blood leaking out of his nose and ears. His heart clenched, thinking about how he wouldn’t be able to handle it if his soulmate went through that.
Verena let out a soft sob as she continued to wipe off the blood. “Tell me it gets better, please.”
“It does,” he whispered. “After I brought the guys to him, his….episodes gradually decreased. Fayra told me it’s because his mind is trying to remember something that isn’t there anymore.”
Verena’s hands shook as she sat back on her haunches, just staring at Astrid. “Why hasn’t Astrid’s episodes stopped? It got worse when the girls came back. I thought it would get better. Fayra hadn’t told me anything.”
Ryuu pulled off one of Astrid’s boots and got to work on the other, steadily seeing through to his task. “It got worse for Maddox before it got better, Verena.”
“But--”
Suddenly, Astrid sits up, her eyes still eerily white but now her expression is twisted into one of fury. Verena and Ryuu jump up in surprise, especially as powerful waves of power emit out of her. Ryuu flinches as lethargy suddenly hits him hard, making him weak. The desire to sleep is not far behind and he stumbles back, holding onto the edge of the table to keep steady. Verena also seems to be struggling with staying coherent as she sucks in deep breaths, swaying in place.
“Astrid?” Verena mutters, words slurring together as sleep starts to invade her mind. “Astri--”
The woman in question turns her head, fixing a blank gaze towards Verena.
“Fucking Obsidian. I’m going to kill the bastard.”
The power wave suddenly cuts off and Astrid collapses back on the bed, her eyes closed and her body no longer trembling. Ryuu and Verena shake their heads, struggling to pull themselves out of the heavy fog of sleep. After a few minutes, they are able to shake off a little bit of Astrid’s power.
Clarity comes back, and with it, a revelation. Verena and Ryuu stare at Astrid’s limp body before turning to each other, eyes wide.
“She remembers Obsidian?”
vii ➝ Back together, huh?
- Astrid and Maddox -
(A few days before the start of December)
Astrid found Maddox on the balcony of the top floor of the mansion, looking --or rather glaring-- out at the scenery below. He didn’t turn around when she approached.
“You’re actually seeking me out, Astrid? What’s wrong, did you miss me?”
“Shut up.” She looked out at the scenery though one couldn’t really see much with all the darkness. “Nice view.”
He didn’t say anything, just staring steadily ahead. Astrid tilted her head to the side, openly looking at him, eyeing the scar that ran down his face.
“You really don’t know how you got that scar?”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
They lapsed back into silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable seeing as they knew each other, and that strange familiarity between them. After a few minutes, Astrid leaned her hip against the balcony railing.
“Why are you really here, Maddox?”
A corner of his lips quirked up. “What, you don’t enjoy my company?”
“As much as stoic silences and glares into the darkness goes, sure.” She rolled her eyes. “I just want to know what brought Guild Storm here. You’re not exactly a welcome surprise.”
Maddox gave her a bored glance. “Between the two of us, you’re the one not winning any popularity contests.”
Astrid flinched back from the statement, her mind buzzing to the girls and their outbursts. She rubbed her head. “Can’t blame them. They don’t understand this world and the dangers of angering the Council. They’re too…human.”
“They aren’t humans.”
“Hm. They aren’t magi, either.” Her head pounded but she pretended it wasn’t there. “What brought you to Atlanta? No, let me rephrase that, what’s making you stick your sorry hide here?”
A weighted silence filled the air before Maddox finally turned to look at her, appraising her from head to toe with a thoughtful look.
“House Nyx.”
Astrid stilled, a sharp jab stabbing into her mind. Everytime something familiar tried to surface, pain would surge across her brain. The pain happened often, but it didn’t make it easier for her. Just like being around Maddox made her feel like needles were trying to pierce her brain through her eyes.
“What about it?”
Dark amusement flickered in his eyes. “Your Guild and mine were merged. But we’re not really two separate Guilds, are we?”
She carefully kept her expression neutral. “Are you referring to mine, or to yours?”
“I’m here for the same reason you are,” he said, ignoring her question. “Fayra brought us back together by the order of the Council.”
“Back together, huh?”
He tilted his head to the side. “Doesn’t Verena agree with that statement?”
“Verena doesn’t say anything.” Astrid’s eyes flashed in annoyance. “ She must be under the same oath that Ryuu’s under.”
Maddox’s face darkened, his eyes darkening like a storm gathering within them. “You noticed the oath too. The Council is fucking with House Nyx.”
“That can't be,” Astrid muttered, raising her hand to press against the painful throbbing behind her temple. “Something else is happening. It must have spiraled out of the Council’s control.”
Maddox nodded with a frown. “To the point of wanting to amend their mistakes.”
Astrid blinked. “Amend their mistakes?”
“Fayra mentioned the Council was trying to amend their mistakes by putting House Nyx together.”
A piercing pain shot through Astrid’s head, slicing behind her eyes. She barely managed to contain her flinch. In front of her, Maddox’s face went curiously blank.
Astrid cleared her throat, discreetly shaking away the pain. “House Nyx was originally one, according to Verena and Fayra. Something happened and House Nyx broke apart, sending Guild Storm to Salem and my Guild of girls to the human district.” Astrid frowned at him. “What were you doing during the time you were with Guild Storm?”
Maddox shrugged. “Mission Aid Gigs. A large chunk of my memories were gone and Ryuu had been helping us train for the last two years.”
“You were awake?”
Maddox looked confused. “Was I awake--” he stilled, his face darkening. “Were you not awake?”
Astrid stared at him. “Didn’t Fayra tell you? I was in a coma, locked in an arcane void.”
viii ➝ Is it because of her?
- Ryuu, Luca, and Maddox -
Luca waited outside the Rare Dragon, leaning against the wall and taking in his surroundings. He breathed in deeply, shifting quickly through the scents. Nothing unusual in this area; magic and the Witches’ herbs filled the air, the scent a pleasant one indeed.
He picked up the sound of Ryuu thanking someone and then the man was walking outside, a small vial between his lips as he tucked away a few assortments of similar vials filled with red liquid into his bag. Ryuu tipped his head back as he drank the stuff in the vial as though it was a shot, his face scrunching up in disgust at the aftertaste.
“With the face you make I don’t understand why you don’t just go to a donor,” Luca muttered as Ryuu tossed the empty vial into a nearby trash can. The trash burst into blames for a moment, incinerating its contents before going back to its original appearance, as though nothing had happened.
Ryuu rolled his neck, running a hand through his hair as the men made their way towards their horses. “Donors are near impossible for me now.”
Luca frowned as they left the district and headed west, towards the shifter districts. “Is it because of her?”
Ryuu didn’t answer but Luca could tell he was right.
The streets bustled with life as the moon rose high in the sky. They made one more brief pit stop before heading back to the mansion. Once back inside, Luca made a beeline for the garden, his face holding an almost excited twinkle. No doubt on his way to see what Willow was up to.
Ryuu paused at the entrance of the mansion, standing in the foyer and scanning the place. It tightened his throat to see it clean and with people bustling about. Without thinking, he found himself heading towards the training room where Alerie would be.
He peeked inside to see Erasto and Master Tao training Alerie who seemed to be listening intently. Longing consumed him as it had every time he saw her, his hand flexing with the urge to just touch her. Just once, he wanted to be able to touch her again.
When she had found the seal plushie, her favourite silly thing back before… Ryuu shook his head, not wanting to dwell on that past. But when he saw her with that plushie, he didn’t know how he managed to keep himself in check and composed enough to take the plushie away in a diligent manner. Anyway, he would rather give her the plushie when it was clean.
The sound of footsteps pulled his eyes away from the training room and towards the end of the corridor where he saw Maddox walk down the hall with Luca. Hm, seemed that Luca’s trip to the garden was cut-off by Maddox, judging by Luca’s unhappy scowl.
“Got your shit?” Maddox asked, nodding to his bag. Ryuu nodded.
“Got enough to last me a month before I have to go back.” He glanced at the papers in Luca’s hand. “What are you guys doing?”
“Going through the blueprint of Redtown,” Luca answered, giving the papers a death glare as though they were the reason he couldn’t go off gallivanting with her soulmate. Briefly, Ryuu wondered if Luca knew that Willow was his soulmate. He was a smart guy, surely he’d put two and two together by now.
Maddox’s voice dropped to a low murmur. “We’re also investigating types of memory magic. While most of the members seemed to have lost their memories, Astrid’s a strange case. She hasn’t lost them, but can’t access them.”
Ryuu stiffened. “Most of the members?”
Maddox just flashed him a brief smile before stepping into the meeting room.
ix ➝ I must have built this for her
- Luca and Erasto -
There was a knock on the door that drew Erasto’s eyes up from the book he was pouring over. The door to the meeting room opened and Luca stepped in, a thoughtful frown in place. He pulled out a chair in front of the desk and sat down, still gazing somewhere in the distance.
Erasto raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
There was silence for a few moments before Luca finally came back to life. “My soulmate.”
“Yeah?”
“Before… Bryan was attacked, I had told you that I knew one of the women. Or I should have known about her.”
Erasto frowned, trying to recall the conversation. It was a few moments before it clicked in his head, causing him to nod. “I remember.”
“I’ve confirmed that I’m soul bonded to her,” Luca muttered, eyebrows drawn together as he scowled.
“You don’t seem very happy about it.”
“I’m a wolf,” he muttered, still frowning. “When we bond with our soulmate, she’s our mate for life. It doesn’t make sense how I couldn’t feel her absence completely.”
Erasto’s eyebrows drew together. Lucas was right; as a wolf-shifter he was more likely to feel the soul-bond than the others. Shifters were more sensitive to their mates, more aggressive to threats and far more protective. It was a well known fact in the magi community that one did not get between a shifter and their mate.
“It’s Willow, isn’t it?”
Luca nodded, not seemingly very surprised at his guess. His lips twitched as his eyes took a faraway look. “She ripped the vines off the water house with her bare hands in her temper.” He smiled savagely, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Imagine the destructive floods she could unleash with all that anger?”
Erasto chuckled dryly. “Or the fires that Ashlynn could cause. Did you know she implied she would burn the mansion down?”
Luca snorted. “Let her try. There’s enough magic here to simply eat away at--” Luca paused, giving Erasto an incredulous stare. “Your soulmate is the fire mage?”
“Ashlynn,” Erasto confirmed. “The lovely fiery one.”
“I would have thought your soulmate would be one like you, outgoing and charming.”
Erasto let out a short laugh. “Two of me would be rather boring, don’t you think?”
There was a moment of silence as the men thought of their respective partners.
“How did you guess she was the one, Erasto?” Luca asked softly.
“I didn’t guess. I just knew it when I laid my eyes on her; that she was the one I would die with.” He looked over at Luca. “And you?”
He frowned. “I had to do the math. I just felt a draw towards her, unmistakably one meant for permanence… except it wasn’t new.”
It felt old, like a piece of him he hadn’t realized was missing until he saw her. Luca left Erasto to finish his work and found himself walking towards the garden. Towards that little glass building with the little waterfalls and small streams. As he approached it, he felt a sense of pride.
I must have built this for her, he thought, his eyes following the shape over the building. Willow had been tasked with cleaning the garden and though she threw a tantrum about it, she still did a beautiful job. He could see the sparkle within.
He moved quietly inside, soundlessly, and found Willow crouched by one of the empty streams. Her little cat was sleeping nearby as the woman hummed softly under her breath, running her fingers through the water. A nearby hose was dipped into the stream, water trickling out of it in a steady flow to full up the little shallow grooves that ran all around the room.
He watched her, his heart strangely clenched. He hated her being isolated by herself, sitting alone in her garden. She didn’t seem to understand that everyone was as lost as she, that everyone was trying their best to make do. His heart clenched again.
If she still had the mindset of a human, would she even be able to accept that he was a wolf? The furthest from being a human?
Nikos and Rafael-TBA
TBA
Credit
Fayra returns, her clothes tattered and her skin bruised. She has a wild glint in her eyes and she is clearly furious about something. She motions for Maddox, Ryuu, and Astrid to follow her into the council room. An hour later, Ryuu comes out and calls for everyone to enter, all except for Lilith and Isa.
Once everyone enters, they will see Maddox and Astrid sitting at the main table, faces stoic and dark. Ryuu’s expression is no better.
“Due to Council business,” Fayra will start with a stiff face, “I wasn’t around to give the answers everyone needed. And if I had known I would be gone for this long, I would have removed the oath from Ryuu and Verena.”
“Oath?” someone repeats, confused.
“A spell the Council puts on someone to stop them from revealing things the Council doesn’t want revealed. Ryuu here,” Fayra motioned to the frowning man, “has tried on multiple occasions to break that oath, putting his leaders in danger.”
“Leaders? Who… Astrid?” someone scoffed.
Fayra smiled, but her smile was dark. “Oh yes, Astrid. Astrid and Maddox, to be precise. The leaders of House Nyx and now, the ultimate target of Obsidian.”
In the Council Room
The Orders of the Council
Fayra looks around the room, at the whole group, her face solemn and her voice nearly other-worldly. She looks around, her gaze landing on the hard-expressions on some of the girls. Her lips twitch into a slight smile.
“To start off, your memories of being a magi have been… removed. This was done to protect, not punish you, and this was done by the Council, though I do not know the exact reason. I found you all collapsed and barely alive. The Council had ordered me to hide--”
“What is this Council everyone keeps talking about?”
“The Council rules over PnD States without question. They have been alive for millenia, some of them as old as when the States first split up. They are the judge, the jury and the executioner. They do not involve themselves in the wars between magis but they will interfere with conflicts between Humans and Magis.” Fayra’s expression darkened. “And this is exactly what the Council did.”The History of A Forgotten Past
“House Nyx,” she says. “This is your House. You are not a Guild, a Clan, A Pack or a Coven. You are a House with different species, and you have been a House for many years. You were one of the strongest to exist and had performed countless Mission Aid Gigs across the States.”
There was silence as her eyes drifted to where Astrid and Maddox sat.
“As most of you are aware, there has been an uneasy atmosphere between the magis and humans. Things weren't always like this. PnD States used to be very welcoming to all creatures, humans or otherwise.
“A few years ago, a human extremist lost his lover to a magi.” Fayra let out a soft sigh. “The lover was the soulmate of a vampire and as expected of soulmates, they formed a soulbond. The human that was left behind grew enraged and committed a taboo act; he enlisted the help of a demon.”
People around the room sucked in sharp breaths, but Fayra continued.
“To enlist the help of a demon is to give up your soul, and that’s exactly what the human did. So, he gained new powers and became stronger. His mission? To rid the world of soulbonds and of magis. Somewhere along the line he had gathered hundreds of humans to turn against the PnD States. Assault, kidnapping, murder… it all happened. Magis are bound by law never to turn their powers against humans and that was one of the Council’s few mistakes.
“The extremists knew how to hurt us. They stalked us, hunting and hiding amongst our PnD humans, gleaning information on our communities. Figuring out which Clan, which House, which Pack….had the most soulbonds. And then they attacked. You see,” Fayra’s voice shook for a second before she managed to bring it back under control. “Once a soulbond is formed, two people’s lives become interconnected. You kill one, the other will often not survive the breaking of the bond. And the extremists knew this. They took the weakest, easiest members and killed them, knowing that their other halves would die along with them.
“It was a bloodbath,” Fayra said quietly. “Terrible. Children became orphans, there were bodies scattered on the streets, and entire communities died out just like that.”Obsidian’s Hatred
“What does that have to do with us?” someone asks.
“When a human makes a deal with a demon, he takes the name of the demon and uses it as his alias.” Fayra’s gaze hardened, turned to hatred. “Obsidian couldn’t be punished, for all he did was give the human power he wanted in exchange for his soul. This is how demons work, this is their method of surviving. As for the human Obsidian? Well, he had decided that massacres weren’t enough. He became obsessed with dominating magis, and decided to try for a new method of destruction; annihilating soulbonds.”
Fayra turned her eyes onto the ones who returned from the human states. “Soulbonds are a huge part of being a magi. Our magic, our core, our connections with the earth and the environment, lie in the magic of our soulbonds. Many of us have soulmates to ease the magic flowing within us, to make it bearable. Even now, your soulmate and you are sharing the weight and burden of your powers, easing the flow of immense energy. Every magi is born with a soulmate and with time, you will cross paths with each other.
“The danger lies in the bonding of souls between two people. Once you have been soul bonded, a connection between you two opens up, tying your lives together. This threatens humans as soul bonded people live longer, share life-forces, and can combine their magic.
“Obsidian strived to rid the world of soulbonds, and of magis. He found dark magic, dark arts, wicked creatures, to help him along his way. He single handedly wiped out Houses, Packs, Covens and Clans from other countries. House Nyx and House Shard were working together to bring him down, a task given by the Council. You have been chasing and fighting Obsidian for years before….” here Fayra flinches and her face darkens. Ryuu stiffens, and Master Tao hangs his head. Maddox stills, his eyes fixed on Fayra.
“Before…?” Astrid prompts through clenched teeth.
“No one knows what happened inside the warehouse on that fateful day,” Fayra whispers. “The two Houses found Obsidian in Salem and went to fight him…”
There was silence. A long silence. Everyone waited, watching Fayra. But it wasn’t her voice that broke the heavy atmosphere.
“House Shard didn’t survive when we came to the area,” Ryuu said, looking at Fayra. “We only saw the bodies and Obsidian. Astrid was the only one who was there and she was unconscious, locked in the arcane void.”
Fayra nods, face strained. “That’s right. Maddox and the guys were scattered around Salem.”
“Why?” Maddox asks.
“I had to protect you,” Fayra whispers. “I had to protect House Nyx at all costs, no matter what it took. Do you realize how many others, besides Obsidian, wanted all of you dead? Or how many were hunting for the abilities your House kept, monopolized and away from the public?”
Astrid’s magic surges out of her in that instance and she leans forward, eyes glowing brightly in anger.
“Monopolized? We are people! We cannot be treated like equipment!”
“I know that!” Fayra hisses. “But not everyone can understand this, can you not see that? You have a child with the ability to create a terrifying dome, cancelling out all powers in his direct area. Imagine his potential if he uses an arcane circle? He would make an excellent weapon in war.”
Ryuu jumps up at this, eyes flashing furiously. “Nikos is not a weapon!”
Quietly, so only those near him could hear, Nikos nodded seriously and whispered, “Boom.”
Fayra glares at Ryuu but continues on, as though he didn’t interrupt her. “What about fear? Hypnos? Love? Illusions? Floods? Raging infernos? A living combat goddess?” Fayra stands up. “What about the blood witch you retrieved from that warehouse?”
Everyone fell silent, mouth agape.
“You have a blood witch amongst you and you want to tell me that people are not entitled to your power? Use her blood for evil, and she can be the key to destroy the very core of magic. Take her blood for good, and she will absolve the world of incurable diseases.”
“The reason blood witches ceased to exist is because humans and magis alike did exactly that,” Maddox growled. His eyes held a cool simmering fire. “No one touches House Nyx, and no one comes near our blood witch.”
Fayra let out a harsh laugh. “Blood witches. You have two.”
Maddox gritted his teeth. “And neither are yours to take.”
“Then we will have to get rid of Obsidian. He knows about your blood witch.”
“You said he is dead,” Astrid interjected.
“Obsidian is only the name of a demon.” Fayra lifts an eyebrow. “Humans take the demon's name. Do you think all extremists died that day? Another Obsidian exists today, following the same pattern, hiding amongst our humans.”When the Fragmented Asks
There are a few moments of silence before Fayra turns to the room, glancing at the girls. “Are there any questions?”
Ariadne speaks up, curious. “Soulbonds.”
Fayra nods. “Yes, go on.”
“How exactly does a soulbond happen? Is it through a kiss? Words of love…?”
Someone laughs but cuts it off with a hasty cough. Fayra’s smile is warm, kind and affectionate.
“Soul Bonds between soulmates are formed when the two people understand each other, removing any vulnerability and truly trusting each other. To be in love with your soulmate is, of course, important, but love isn’t everything. You need to truly believe in them for the bond to form.” Fayra’s eyes flicker around the room. “But… most of your bonds have already formed, there’s only the re-connection and reawakening of the bond to be done.”
Ariadne nods. “Okay, and what abilities do everyone have?”
There’s a bit of an awkward silence after she asks this. Master Tao coughs.
“Ariadne, you will find out in due time. To outwardly ask what magic magis have is considered…rude.” He lifts up a hand. “I realize we are of the same House, but you are all not familiar enough with each other yet, so this could be a little uncomfortable for some.”
Ryuu clears his throat. “Anything else?”
Alerie raises a hand, directing her question at Fayra who had retreated into her little floating cloud. “Who attacked you?”
Fayra’s smile dropped and her face took on a blank look. “I would rather not say.”
“Okay, then why did the council bring us back together? Why now?”
Fayra’s gaze flickered to Astrid before flicking away. “According to the Council,” Fayra started carefully, “they had recently found you and insisted you be brought back together as you were all family once.”
Astrid rolled her eyes. “You were the one who separated us.”
“No, I was the one to hide you,” Fayra responded sharply. “We will not discuss this anymore, Astrid.”
Note: Your character may ask 2 questions in the council room and those responses will be added to the scenes above.
After the council meeting, Astrid leaves the room, very visibly shaken up. She asks around for Verena but no one has seen her. All of a sudden, her eyes turn white and she lets out a gasp of surprise, quickly turning away from everyone. Before she disappears upstairs, you catch sight of blood dripping from her nose. Maddox and Fayra follow her upstairs while Ryuu starts to meticulously search the mansion.
He asks about the time Verena left to purchase horses, and is told by Lilith that she had left early in the morning of that day. It’s twilight now and she still hasn’t come back.
Luca’s face goes dark. “Horses are not that difficult to purchase.”
“Where did Verena say she wanted to purchase horses?” Ryuu asks Rafael who has a frown on his face.
“Dawnbury.”
Dawnbury was one of the biggest towns in Atlanta.
“Witch and Mage hybrid District,” Luca inputted. “The best town for mages and witches to get their supplies. And horses.”
“It’s a popular place, and relatively safe because of the amount of witches in that area,” Rafael adds, his eyebrows furrowing together. “She shouldn’t have taken as long as she is. She and Xanth are from that particular district.”
Ryuu agrees, a bad feeling sinking into place. He takes Luca and Rafael with him, leaving the mansion to search for Verena, Juliette and Xanth. Nikos wants to join the search party but Ryuu shuts him down, sternly but kindly.
The Return
Ryuu and the others return to the mansion at dawn the next morning. They stumble in, supporting an unconscious, badly battered Verena. The men themselves are in no better condition.
Rafael has bruises on his face and a deep cut on his forearm.
Luca is sporting a broken arm and seems to be…growling in pain. Literal, animalistic growls.
Ryuu has several cuts across his face and body, but seems to be the least harmed out of the group.
Astrid and the others all rush towards them, with Astrid gathering Verena up in her arms. Maddox demands to know what happened while Fayra stands at the top of the stares, her face hard.
“We were ambushed,” Luca spat. “Two shifters, three mages.”
“They had taken Verena and the others hostage,” muttered Rafael, flinching as he tried to put pressure on his forearm. Erasto ripped off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his wound.
Verena opens her eyes, they were bloodshot and she attempts to murmur something, but nothing comes out. She makes strange noises, as though she were trying to form words. Astrid stares at her, her gaze sharpening on Verena’s mouth. Gently, she pries open Verena’s mouth causing a horrified gasp to ripple through the crowd around them.
Verena’s tongue has been sliced off. She stares up at Astrid, eyes desperate and tears leaking out of her eyes.
“Xanth and the girl?” Maddox asks, turning to the guys.
Rafael shook his head, face scrunched in pain. “They didn’t make it.”
Verena’s tears fell harder as slowly, she lifted up two small broken glass bubbles. Her voice echoes through the room, ringing through everyone’s head.
“I couldn’t protect their soulbond. The human broke their soulbond.”Note
BearHugs has unfortunately decided to pull out, so I have T-Rexed her character.
So sadly, we have to say goodbye to our plant mage as well as Xanth.
The Aftermath
A healer is brought in and Master Tao encourages Willow to learn from her the abilities of purifying water and filling it with healing magic. Willow is to watch the healer as she tends to Verena and Luca.
Over the next few days, Verena will remain in bed to heal. In order for the magic to work, she needs to sleep as much as possible and get her magic flowing through the natural process of healing. You could visit her if you want, but she would spend most of her time in a healing sleep. Luca’s arms will take several days of healing, though not by magic.
It will be revealed that Luca is a wolf shifter, so his healing capabilities are higher than most. During the time he heals, he will often be in the kitchen, gorging down massive amounts of food with Rafael next to him. If Willow would accompany him, he would be cocky about his healing. If she is curious about him, he would willingly answer her questions. Once his arm heals, he will initiate sparring sessions with Willow.
Isa will start to show herself around the mansion more often, often hanging around Sarah. Many times you can find her following Ryuu around and you may witness their interactions. Ryuu will be very patient with her and allows her to have her way with whatever she wants. He will be quiet and will be either be intensively researching documents in the library or training with Maddox and Nikos. If Alerie is in the library with Ryuu, she can ask him questions or interact with him. He will be open and not as harsh as before. They may spar on different occasions, and Ryuu will become a little playful and show off his telekinetic abilities, mostly drawing her weapons out of her hands and teasing her.
Nikos will be in a somber mood as he had been very close to Xanth. He will not be as playful as he usually is, but you could probably catch him in the act of rearranging the library according to colors. He will become a little more temperamental and it's clear that he seems to be having headaches. He will avoid places where people are chattering or arguing and will prefer to eat his meals alone. If Sarah were to find him, he would not oppose her company. Instead, he will be quiet as she chats, listening to the sound of her voice.
Erasto will appear unaffected and will be his usual charming self. In quieter moments, he will be distracted, almost a little sad. He will continue to train and will start to focus on training Ashlynn on how to fight as well as how to control her powers better.
Rafael will spend a lot of time in the meeting room, often with Luca as they go over important documents and plans. He will be focused and more serious, and will welcome the company of Ariadne if she chooses to seek him out.
You can find Astrid often in one of the training rooms. She would spar with different people and you could find her sitting cross-legged in an arcane circle, just charging up her power. If you catch her in an arcane circle, feel free to chat to her. She will be calm, and slightly distant, but will welcome anyone’s presence. Master Tao will encourage the girls to practice their drawing circles around Astrid as she can give them good pointers. She will have Sarah and Araidne practice their arcane circles on the floor near her so she can monitor them as mental mages, and she will often tease them on their crappy drawing circles. She will warm up to Alerie when Alerie comes by to practice her own arcane circle, and will be polite to Willow and Ash.
You will often find Maddox with her, either bickering or talking quietly. Maddox will practically live in the meeting room, pouring over papers and going through different research books. He doesn’t like to be disturbed but if you catch him training with Nikos, you can get a sense of the type of power he has.
Note: If you interact with any of the other characters/extras, it will appear in their 'scenes'.
On one of the days, after everyone is done with training, Maddox will summon them to the meeting room. There, you will find Astrid waiting with her arms crossed and Fayra nowhere to be seen.
Maddox starts the meeting by stating that no one should leave the mansion without detailing their whereabouts and going with someone. He will ignore anyone who protests this, simply stating that they were targets so it would be obvious to not go anywhere alone, and anyone who wants to argue is an idiot.
After, Astrid will start talking about the situation at hand. Mostly, that they were stuck because the Council was refusing to meet with them and help them with Obsidian. So for now, they were on their own.
The Tasks of the Fragmented
Details of your mission will be Dm’d to you later on
- Luca and Willow head off to Pack Nightshade to listen to old wives’ tales on soulmates and the importance of a soulbond, and as well as figure out why Shifters are getting hired to do dirty jobs.
- Sarah and Nikos accompany Astrid and Maddox in visiting House Aurora.
- Ryuu and Alerie go to popularly vampire districts to try and glean more information through the human donors of vampires.
- Rafael and Ariadne will accompany Master Tao in finding the relative of one of House Shard’s members; a puma shifter.
- Erasto and Ash head off into the human districts where Erasto charms and talks easily with people, trying to learn about the hostilities between magis and humans.
Last edited by MistyMisty (28/11/2020 at 09:31)
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